Pi Beseth
Summary
Pi Beseth, known to the Greeks as Bubastis, was an important city in Lower Egypt prophesied by Ezekiel to fall by the sword.
☩Location and History
Pi Beseth was situated on the west bank of the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, about forty miles from Memphis. The city served as the chief town of the Bubastite nome and was the seat of the 22nd Egyptian dynasty (beginning around 990 BC), a line of Bubastite kings. In hieroglyphics, the name is written as Bahest, Bast, or Ha-Bahest, after the goddess worshiped there. The ruins at Tell Basta attest to its ancient grandeur, with remains of fine red granite that apparently formed part of the temple.
☩The Temple and Worship
Herodotus described the temple of Bubastis as the most beautiful he knew, built of the finest red granite. The temple stood in the midst of the city, which had been raised on mounds and overlooked it on every side. An artificial canal encompassed it with Nile waters. The goddess Bast (or Pesht), a lion-headed deity associated with fire, was the chief object of worship, and the cat was sacred to her. The annual festival was the most popular and largely attended in Egypt, though marked by great license.
☩Prophetic Judgment
Ezekiel prophesied that 'the young men of Aven and of Pi-beseth shall fall by the sword and these cities shall go into captivity.' Heliopolis (Aven) and Bubastis were near each other and both lay in the route of an invader from the East marching against Memphis. The prophecy was fulfilled when the Persians took the city and destroyed its walls.
Related Verses1 mention
Ezekiel· 1 verse
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Pi-beseth," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. VIII (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.George Morrish, "Pibeseth," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 3.F. N. Peloubet & M. A. Peloubet (ed.), "Pibeseth," in Smith's Bible Dictionary (Porter & Coates, 1884).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Pibeseth," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).